Thailand forum
First time traveller... HELP!!!
Have questions? Jump to our menu of forum quicklinks
Add your reply
You need to be logged in to add a reply.
Not a member? you can join here.
Welcome to Travelfish, original Asia travel intelligence you can trust
Menu
brg93
Joined Travelfish
4th June, 2012
Posts 5
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
So this is my first time travelling and I have decided to do it alone. I have booked my tickets and I am leaving the UK on the 17/10. I have no plans for when I land in Thailand, no accomodation planned and I am defiantly gonna be alone. Can anyone offer me any advice? For Example: Where is the best place for travellers to meet new people? Where/How do I get a visa (considering i want to be there for 3 months).
#1 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 15:31
longbeach
Joined Travelfish
28th March, 2012
Posts 307
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Need the visa before you go. Ask a travel agent to organise it for you or google the thai embassy. You can apply for a 2 mth single or multi entry visa.
Buy a guide book or print out info from this site and see what appeals.
Are you a man/woman/teenage brat?
#2 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 18:11
Advertisement
caseyprich
Joined Travelfish
3rd March, 2010
Location China
Posts 1001
Member profile
Profile page
Private message
You'll meet fellow travelers where you might most expect to; the lobby of a hostel, a bar, a tour group. I don't often recommend tour groups, but say you're trying to do a day-trip out to some temple or waterfall, a tour group can be a good way to meet other people who are moving in the same directions as you. Oh, and probably the most common place I've met other travelers has been on the bus/waiting at the bus station. You're headed to the same place and both of you will be looking for a place to stay when you arrive.
#3 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 18:55
------------------------------
千里之行，始于足下
goonistik
Joined Travelfish
7th January, 2010
Posts 466
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
You will want to book at least the first night upon arrival at Bangkok. Spares you the problem of looking for a place to stay until you get more oriented.
#4 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 19:09
longbeach
Joined Travelfish
28th March, 2012
Posts 307
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Thailand doesn't have many hostels. I don't know why people keep talking about hostels. Thailand has guesthouses which are like Inns/B&Bs and cost from $10 up.
#5 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 19:36
thaiXplorer
Joined Travelfish
16th April, 2012
Location Germany
Posts 34
Member profile
Profile page
Messaging not enabled.
hello brg93
for 3 month you need a double entry visa stamp in your passport
send your passport(valid!)to thai embassy london with all they want
http://www.thaiembassyuk.org.uk/
if you got it we can talk more...watch me at facebook : burnhaard
#6 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 21:13
PPeacHH
Joined Travelfish
4th June, 2012
Posts 9
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
I suggest going to a good size island. Maybe Koh Chang. You will get to know people real quick and it's pretty cheap.
#7 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 21:19
caseyprich
Joined Travelfish
3rd March, 2010
Location China
Posts 1001
Member profile
Profile page
Private message
Hostel/guesthouse, fairly similar . . . .i guess a hostel has dorm rooms and a guesthouse doesn't? I wouldn't know, I gave up on dorm rooms when I started snoring. I've stayed at a few guesthouses in Laos that could easily have been called hostels or some hostels in China that I'd more likely call guesthouses - not sure what the criteria difference is.
#8 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 21:42
------------------------------
千里之行，始于足下
longbeach
Joined Travelfish
28th March, 2012
Posts 307
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Hostels implies shared rooms and a few individual rooms. Guesthouses offer individual rooms most of which with ensuite.
#9 Posted: 5/6/2012 - 22:45
MADMAC
Joined Travelfish
6th June, 2009
Posts 5072
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Well a little more detail about you and your desires would help. Some people want to be beach bums. Some want to do the backpacker trail and socialize with other backpackers. Some want to get drunk and chase women. Some want to check out architectural sites. Some want to do the nature thing.... And then maybe there are interests or hobbies you want to pursue while here. If you want to socialize with Thais that is really easy, but it helps if you leave the tourist trail and strike out on your own (language being a real challenge of course).
#10 Posted: 6/6/2012 - 06:45
------------------------------
Victory in Pattani
Advertisement
brg93
Joined Travelfish
4th June, 2012
Posts 5
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
I am quite interested in a lot of things really, the culture, the food, the nature and the beach. I just want to experience it all. I want to spend the 3 months moving around from place go place, maybe go to laos, cambodia and vietnam. Can anyone recommend a place to start? someone suggested koh Tao to start... good idea?
#11 Posted: 6/6/2012 - 13:39
busylizzy
Joined Travelfish
31st December, 2007
Location New Zealand
Posts 1873
Member profile
Profile page
Private message
Don't worry about visa's, etc just yet. First, work out where you want to go and how you think you will get there. (Your overland/air arrival method can affect your visa options).
Have you checked out the Suggested Itineraries on this website? Click on the Planning button at the top.. these are perfect to help you to start getting your head around places that you can may want to visit a route that you might want to follow.
Not sure why Koh Tao is better than anywhere else as a starting point. My preference is to finish up a long trip in the islands as it's nice to relax and have lazy days on a beach after moving around for weeks/months on end. Also - if you're interested in food, culture, etc - Koh Tao is not it! Go to madmac's territory in Issan (in north east Thailand) for that.
I would suggest starting out in Thailand - it's the easiest of those countries to get your head around when you are first starting out. Maybe a few days in Bangkok, Kanchanburi, Ayutthaya, etc. Then make your way up to Chaing Mai and over into Laos. (Refer to the suggested itineraries for the rest!)
Hope that helps a little bit.
#12 Posted: 6/6/2012 - 14:58
------------------------------
As you grow older, you'll find the only things you regret are the things you didn't do.
longbeach
Joined Travelfish
28th March, 2012
Posts 307
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Tao is hard to get to so it's not a good place to start. The best place to start is the city you fly into obviously which for most would be Bangkok but you can fly into other places like Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi. You said you've booked your tickets so where do you fly into? If it's BKK then spend some time there and maybe go to Kanchanaburi for a few nights then head north and finish in the south on the islands as suggested.
#13 Posted: 6/6/2012 - 18:37
tyler
Joined Travelfish
7th December, 2010
Location Canada
Posts 199
Member profile
Profile page
Private message
@brg93 - your tickets are booked...but where? Where are you flying into and where are you flying home from?
#14 Posted: 6/6/2012 - 20:38
thaiXplorer
Joined Travelfish
16th April, 2012
Location Germany
Posts 34
Member profile
Profile page
Messaging not enabled.
good tips but where's the answer?
or is this all spam to get my nr?
i hope he'll get his ass up and
answer or stay home!
#15 Posted: 7/6/2012 - 12:46
brg93
Joined Travelfish
4th June, 2012
Posts 5
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
I have been talking to a family member who has been travelling and has visited Thailand. She says Krabi is a nice area and so is Samui.
Should I start in the north and finish in the south or the other way round.???
Also, can anyone suggest any particular accomodation to stay in. cheap and clean is all i ask
brg93
#16 Posted: 10/6/2012 - 15:53
MADMAC
Joined Travelfish
6th June, 2009
Posts 5072
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
Accomodation where?
I've heard a lot of good things about Krabi . Samui has been extensively developed, which is a plus for some, a negative for others. Depends on what you want. Bangkok sits in the middle, and it's the major transportation hub of Thailand. So I guess the best thing would be to hit the stuff you want in the Bangkok environs and then fly to Krabi or Samui from Bangkok.
#17 Posted: 10/6/2012 - 22:50
------------------------------
Victory in Pattani
hutty
Joined Travelfish
4th June, 2009
Posts 19
Member profile
Profile private
Messaging not enabled.
@brg93
dude you really need some more specifics if you want advice.
it is fine to say "oh yeah I want to see it all in Thailand (beaches, nature, party etc) and also Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam...but you only have 3 months and you need to narrow it down because to see all those countries you will be sitting on buses for at least 2 weeks or more (plus waiting times). Start North or South whatever - but probably better to start from where you arrive?
Places like Krabi are fine if you want to hang with people that cant stop talking about rock climbing. But you need to do some research on what you like to do. You can obviously use the internet so what are you interested in? Go look it up. Also this site is covered in places you can stay - do some research.
Some tips on the better known places:
Art and temples? Go to Chiang Mai
Northern cute valley (but touristic)? - Pai
Party and Drugs? go to Koh Phangan
Commercial party? Koh Samui
Scuba diving? Koh Tao
Suntan with lots of others? Koh Phi Phi
Hookers? go to Pattaya
Want to be bored? - Hat Yai
General drunkeness - Bangkok Khao San Road
Remoteness - far north and to Laos by boat
Everything in 3 months - lots and lots of bus time and a good cushion for your arse.
#18 Posted: 10/6/2012 - 23:46